Pattern Weights

Well I really have been busy . . . unfortunately crafting hasn't been at the top of my list of activities that have kept me busy recently.  I've been planning and dreaming and scheming up some crafts.  Finally this weekend I buckled down to start a new project.

As I got my rotary cutter and mat out to get started I realized I had finally come to a point in my sewing life where I "needed" some pattern weights.  I had seen these around the internet and knew right where to go for the easy tutorial: Craftiness Is Not Optional.  A quick stop at the home store for some washers and some raiding of my ribbon stash . . . and now I have some new pattern weights.

I glued three washers together instead of two - just to add a little more weight.  Besides what else was I going to do with a package of giant washers.  I ended up making 8 weights.  Love them already!

Can you guess what my next project is going to be?  Hint:  Look at the pattern I'm cutting out.  More to come . . . . soon I hope!

Valentines 2014

January seems to fly by so quickly and Valentines will be here before I can blink.  So I try hard to work ahead and get the boy's Valentines ready to go before the end of January.  I've had these done and ready to go for about a week and a half now.  The best part is that they come from other crafter's blogs -  great people who are so willing to share their great ideas.  

And actually, neither of these are new ideas for us.  We've used them in the past.  But they are so great - and the boys are at a new campus this year so the vast majority of the kids in their classes haven't received these from them before.

Son #1 chose to do bouncy balls again this year.  These come from Paging Supermom.  She has some great ideas.  I've already printed out some Valentine's worksheets for the boys to work on this week and next.  These are so easy - print out the labels, sign your name, put the balls in a plastic bag, and staple everything closed.  Simple and cute - can't beat it!

 Son #2 picked these great bug jar Valentines.  I truly LOVE these!  They are from Dandy Designs and they were a huge hit with son #1's class last year.  Print the jars on brown card stock, have son #2 sign his name, and pop the bugs on with removable glue dots.  

I love hunting down cute boy Valentine's ideas on the inter webs.  So many great people out there are willing to share their hard work and great ideas.  And they make my life easier.  Is it crazy to say that we already have ideas and maybe even a few supplies picked out and packed away for next year?  

Or maybe I don't!  

Reusable Christmas Bags

Another craft that's been in the "to do pile" for at least a year ~ ~ ~ Done, Check!

So yes, I finished these the late afternoon of Christmas Eve, but that still counts.  I had seen these reusable Christmas Bags over on the Riley Blake blog a year ago and decided I needed one for each of my two boys for their Christmas pajamas.  Honestly, the bags were for me . . . but I did find a really fun Christmas scavenger hunt printable (wish I could remember the source now!).  I set up the super easy hunt with these bags hidden at the end and they loved figuring out all the clues and finding new pajamas at the end. 

The link for the tutorials (bag and fabric name tags) are HERE at the Simple Simon & Co blog.  Super easy sewing.  The hardest part is making the buttonholes for the tags - but my sewing machine makes those quick and easy too.  I used the same Alpine Wonderland fabric as in the tutorial.

The fabric name tags really make it, I think.

 I added a string of pom poms on each bag - because really, pom poms make everything cuter!

And away they go until next Christmas Eve. 

A Colors Quiet Book

I didn't get very much done in the way of hand-made gifts for Christmas this year.  It's been a busy last few weeks.  I did manage to whip out this cute little Colors Quiet Book for a friend of mine to give to her brand new granddaughter. 

It really is a little sad to know that my boys have moved beyond the phase of enjoying little books like these.  I so love making them!  So since I had all the supplies waiting for one just like this, it went together quickly and easily.  This is from a designer named Shelley Wallace and I find lots of cute things in her Etsy shop.  I've made up quiet a few of her quiet book patterns in the past and each one is as cute as the next. 

Here is the front cover.

Love the red car and orange fish bowl.

Yellow and green (with a cute little red bird in the nest in the tree).

The blue page with the whale may be my favorite, and purple.

Pink and black - the fuzzy, soft sheep is fun too.

And the front and back cover.

Really, the hardest part on these is the hand embroidery of the words.  And even that isn't really hard - just takes a little focused time.  So worth it!  I hope she enjoys it this year!

I do have one more quick little project in the works for tomorrow or the next day . . . if I can get to it.  More to come, hopefully!

My Christmas Village

Many years ago, I had some energy . . . . and I spent a few long hours hand painting a ceramic Christmas village.  I hadn't put it up since before my boys were born.  And we finally decided to pull it out of the deep recesses of the garage this year and put it up.  We've loved having it on our mantle and I've loved seeing it all again.  It's an animal village with lots of extra animals and trees that I didn't include in the pictures. 

 

Here are the pieces:

#1 - Mr. Squirrel's Pine Tree Inn.  This one is an old pine log that they've made a house out of.

 #2 - Beaver Tree Farm.  This one is an old stump that the beavers chewed down.

 

#3 - the Barn.  This piece isn't actually part of the set, but it was the right size and pretty darn cute, so I included it anyway.

 

#4 - Mrs. Mouse's Bed and Breakfast.  I love this one - a B&B made out of a teapot.

 

#5 - Rabbit Seed Farm.  I also love this one with the water wheel.  The house is an old terracotta plant pot. 

I actually love them all!  I spent so much time on them and it's great to have them up.  The artist who created the molds put lots of wonderful details in to them.

Last Minute Halloween Projects

I always seem to have a stack of projects waiting to be done.  You know how it is!  You see something cute, a project, a pattern or a kit that just calls your name . . . and you know "it will only take a few minutes" so you buy it and add it to the ever-growing stack.  Well I finally finished a couple of items in the Halloween project stack this week.  Even if the project is completed on the day of the holiday, it still counts doesn't it? 
Sharing time:

1 - I love creative people who think up all these cute wood projects.  And even more, I love going to a craft store/specialty shop and being able to purchase ALL the things I need to do those cute wood projects all at one time.  It really does make the project quick and easy!  There are certain icons of every holiday that I seem to be attracted to - one of those icons for Halloween are cute little bottles of unknown, dangerous potions.  These wooden bottles just called my name.  I need a piece of cute  ribbon to go around the taller one - it's final addition - that will happen next year!

2 - This little bat was sweet and super quick.  Enough said!

 3 - I saw these adorable spooky crystal balls over at Flamingo Toes.  I HAD to make them!  I gathered all my supplies and brought them home.  The first thing to do is to put some smoke inside the clear GLASS balls.  Well - the key word here is g.l.a.s.s.  Somehow (I think it was the cheap in me) I ended up with plastic balls.  After melting a bit of the opening to one of the balls, I realized I either needed to run out and spend the money on the glass ones or figure out a different way to put some "smoke" in the balls.  Husband suggested some tempura paint and it worked as well as I could have hoped.  Not quite the smoke Flamingo Toes created, but good enough.  And some days, I'm ok with "good enough". 

 Each one of these crystal balls still needs some spooky ribbon around the joint between the candlestick and the ball, but again . . . next year!

We choose the skull . . . .

and the bat. 

And as we were putting away Halloween decorations yesterday I saw one of my favorite decorations sitting on the table.  Who can resist a cute Frankenstein.  But even better - one with a bowl full of eyeballs.  Eyeballs are another of those icons of Halloween I just love!  I painted each one of these many years ago.  Love them!

And finally - I got to go help at son #1's class Halloween party at school on Thursday.  He wanted me to do a craft.  So we got looking online and came across this cute idea for some Frankenstein Stained Glass Window Art at Mrs. T's First Grade Class Blog.  I had to do all the prep work myself ahead of time since I only had a few minutes with each group, but we worked fast and they each got their Franky done and ready to go home. 

 


I do love Halloween decorations!  I don't love dressing up, but I love the decorations and always will!


 

Witchy Gams

I've been meaning to make time to make something Halloweenie - before Halloween passes me by.  I finally got around to making this cute little craft - - A Witch Leg or as I like to call it - - Witchy Gams.  The pattern is actually called Glinda's Gams and it was a really quick, easy project.

 This particular witch leg was taken to our good friend who had us over for dinner tonight.  My own witchy gam is part-way finished and will soon be hanging up ready to celebrate a little Halloween with us. 

I had just a tiny piece of this super cute spider/pom pom trim left over from a Halloween craft a few years back.  It was just the right size to add to this witch leg. 

The rest of my good intentioned Halloween projects will probably go on hold until next year.  I'm having a bit of trouble getting my son's new quilt actually quilted.  Plan B, C, and D are being invoked.  More to follow.